Method and system for mutating and caching content in a content centric network

1. A computer system, the system comprising an intermediate node in a computer network, the intermediate node including:

a processor;

a storage device coupled to the processor and storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform:

receiving, by the intermediate node, a content object that indicates an encrypted payload, a signature, and a parameter for a group to which the content object belongs, wherein the content object includes a name that is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level;

re-encrypting the encrypted payload based on the parameter to obtain a new encrypted payload and generating a new signature for a re-encrypted content object, wherein re-encrypting is not based on a private key or a public key associated with the encrypted payload; and

transmitting the re-encrypted content object to a client computing device, thereby allowing the client computing device to decrypt the re-encrypted content object, verify the new signature, and avoid a correlation attack, wherein transmitting the re-encrypted content object to the client computing device further includes:

transmitting the re-encrypted content object to a previous-hop node based on an entry in a pending interest table, wherein the entry indicates an interest name that corresponds to the content object name, a list of incoming interfaces at which the interest is received, and a list of outgoing interfaces from which the interest is forwarded; and

removing from the entry a first interface from the list of incoming interfaces, wherein the first interface corresponds to the previous-hop node.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

including the new encrypted payload and the new signature in the re-encrypted content object.

3. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the encrypted payload and the signature indicated in the received content object are encrypted based on a public key of a content producing device, a private key of the client computing device, and two integers that are generated randomly based on the parameter.

4. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein re-encrypting the encrypted payload further comprises:

in response to determining that a copy of a content object with a same name as the content object name exists in a cache of the intermediate node, re-encrypting the encrypted payload.

5. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

in response to determining that a copy of a content object with a same name as the content object name does not exist in a cache of the intermediate node:

storing a copy of the received content object in the cache; and

transmitting the received content object to the client computing device.

6. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

receiving an interest with an interest name that is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level; and

wherein re-encrypting the encrypted payload further comprises:

in response to determining that a copy of a content object with a same name as the interest name does exist in a cache of the intermediate node, re-encrypting the encrypted payload.

7. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to re-encrypt the encrypted payload using a re-encryption algorithm based on multiplication.

8. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by an intermediate node in a computer network, a content object that indicates an encrypted payload, a signature, and a parameter for a group to which the content object belongs, wherein the content object includes a name that is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level;

re-encrypting the encrypted payload based on the parameter to obtain a new encrypted payload and generating a new signature for a re-encrypted content object, wherein re-encrypting is not based on a private key or a public key associated with the encrypted payload; and

transmitting the re-encrypted content object to a client computing device, thereby allowing the client computing device to decrypt the re-encrypted content object, verify the new signature, and avoid a correlation attack, wherein transmitting the re-encrypted content object to the client computing device further includes:

transmitting the re-encrypted content object to a previous-hop node based on an entry in a pending interest table, wherein the entry indicates an interest name that corresponds to the content object name, a list of incoming interfaces at which the interest is received, and a list of outgoing interfaces from which the interest is forwarded; and

removing from the entry a first interface from the list of incoming interfaces, wherein the first interface corresponds to the previous-hop node.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

including the new encrypted payload and the new signature in the re-encrypted content object.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the encrypted payload and the signature indicated in the received content object are encrypted based on apublic key of a content producing device, a private key of the client computing device, and two integers that are generated randomly based on the parameter.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein re-encrypting the encrypted payload further comprises:

in response to determining that a copy of a content object with a same name as the content object name exists in a cache of the intermediate node, re-encrypting the encrypted payload.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

in response to determining that a copy of a content object with a same name as the content object name does not exist in a cache of the intermediate node:

storing a copy object in the cache; and

transmitting the received content object to the client computing device.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

receiving an interest with an interest name that is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level; and

wherein re-encrypting the encrypted payload further comprises:

in response to determining that a copy of a content object with a same name as the interest name does exist in a cache of the intermediate node, re-encrypting the encrypted payload.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein re-encrypting the encrypted payload further comprises: re-encrypting the encrypted payload using a re-encryption algorithm based on multiplication.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by a processor of an intermediate node in a computer network, cause the processor to:

receive a content object that indicates an encrypted payload, a signature, and a parameter for a group to which the content object belongs, wherein the content object includes a name that is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level;

re-encrypt the encrypted payload based on the parameter to obtain a new encrypted payload and generate a new signature for a re-encrypted content object, wherein re-encrypting is not based on a private key or a public key associated with the encrypted payload; and

transmit the re-encrypted content object to a client computing device, thereby allowing the client computing device to decrypt the re-encrypted content object, verify the new signature, and avoid a correlation attack, wherein the instructions cause the processor to transmit the re-encrypted content object to the client computing device by:

transmitting the re-encrypted content object to a previous-hop node based on an entry in a pending interest table, wherein the entry indicates an interest name that corresponds to the content object name, a list of incoming interfaces at which the interest is received, and a list of outgoing interfaces from which the interest is forwarded; and

removing from the entry a first interface from the list of incoming interfaces, wherein the first interface corresponds to the previous-hop node.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the encrypted payload and the signature indicated in the received content object are encrypted based on a public key of a content producing device, a private key of the client computing device, and two integers that are generated randomly based on the parameter.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to re-encrypt the encrypted payload by:

in response to determining that a copy of a content object with a same name as the content object name exists in a cache of the intermediate node, re-encrypting the encrypted payload.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

in response to determining that a copy of a content object with a same name as the content object name does not exist in a cache of the intermediate node:

store a copy of the content object in the cache; and

transmit the received content object to the client computing device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive an interest with an interest name that is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier which comprises contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level; and

in response to determining that a copy of a content object with a same name as the interest name does exist in a cache of the intermediate node, re-encrypt the encrypted payload.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to re-encrypt the encrypted payload using a re-encryption algorithm based on multiplication.